NETWORKS

Level 5 Networks, a leading developer of high-speed server interconnect solutions, today announced that it has completed testing of a solution that accelerates applications running on high-performance computing (HPC) clusters using Cisco Gigabit Ethernet switches and Level 5 Networks Ethernet interconnect products. The tests confirmed that Level 5 Networks Ethernet interconnect cards met interoperability criteria with Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series switches, the company's flagship LAN switching platform. The two companies will demonstrate the performance of the combined solution at the Super Computing 2005 (SC05) show in Seattle, Washington from November 14 through 17 in Level 5 Networks booth, #2213. Additionally, Cisco will be showcasing Level 5 Networks high-performance Ethernet interconnect technology available in its High Performance Computing Lab at its corporate headquarters in San Jose to demonstrate the accelerated application performance speed available when Cisco and Level 5 combine forces in an HPC. The demo will be running an approximate 100-node HPC cluster, and customers will be able to see the immediate performance gains when applications run on the combined power of EtherFabric interface cards and Cisco switches. "Our customers are demanding low latency Ethernet switching for their data centers and High Performance Cluster environments," said Walt Blomquist, director of product management in the Internet Systems Business Unit at Cisco. "Combining Level 5 Networks EtherFabric technology as the server's network interface with a Cisco switched Ethernet infrastructure furthers our commitment to providing customers with intelligent networking solutions. This helps our customer to run their HPC applications significantly faster than is possible with conventional Ethernet interconnects." Demand for high-performance computing environments is rising dramatically. Clusters provide a scalable, modular computing environment that can easily be upgraded as server technologies improve while increasing the overall availability of the computing infrastructure. As HPC systems move to a clustered environment, the need grows for high-bandwidth, low-latency server interconnections. Until now, interconnects have been expensive, required significant expertise to implement, and could not scale easily to the high port densities needed today. Because EtherFabric is standards based, it dramatically accelerates application performance without changing the existing IT infrastructure, giving customers significant gains in application performance without requiring changes to the network or the applications. Companies that choose the Ethernet HPC interconnect based on technology from Level 5 Networks and Cisco Systems benefit from: * Combined state of the art Ethernet switching and server technologies that dramatically accelerates applications on HPC clusters * Low-risk solutions that are standards compliant and completely compatible with existing network equipment and application software * Taking advantage of existing Ethernet networking expertise and management tools * Accelerating the performance of the applications running within their HPC environment without drastic changes to the servers, applications or to the network "Level 5 Networks has started a movement to accelerate application performance, liberate server compute power and elevate business productivity by optimizing IT infrastructure," said Dan Karr, chief executive officer of Level 5 Networks. "The combined power of our high performance Ethernet interconnects and Cisco Ethernet switches makes our vision a reality for HPC customers, and we look forward to expanding our work with Cisco to continue bringing best-in-class solutions to the market."